


freefall

by emilieee



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Flying, Healing, Hurt and comfort, Wing AU, kinda self indulgent fic lol, ladrien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:21:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24076627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilieee/pseuds/emilieee
Summary: With Hawkmoth's defeat, Adrien's freedom comes with the ability to finally fly—but he finds out it's not as simple as he hopes it is. Thankfully, Ladybug is there to guide him.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 8
Kudos: 125





	freefall

“I don’t know if I can do it,” Adrien admits. 

Beneath him, all of Paris spreads out like a maze of buildings and streets, impossibly small from the height he’s at. Standing at the top of the Eiffel tower with Ladybug beside him is surreal in and of itself, but looking down to the drop, feeling his wings on his back ruffle in the wind—it’s all a little too much. His heart jumps uncomfortably in his throat, cutting off his breathing and eating away his courage. 

Ladybug’s own white wings unfurl from her back and spread to their full span. “You fly as Chat Noir,” she reminds him, and although Adrien knows she means to be encouraging, the words only bring a sense of dread. “Adrien, you _know_ how to fly. It’ll be okay. Even if you’ve never flown with _these_ wings specifically, it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to fly.” 

He looks at the ground. “I don’t know,” Adrien mumbles. “I mean, it’s one thing to be Chat Noir and do it, but this isn’t the same.” 

A hand rests on his shoulder. “I won’t let you fall,” Ladybug promises. “Trust me, _chaton_. I know you’ll love it.” 

Despite the uncertainty still brewing inside of him, Adrien manages a smile when hearing her call him that nickname—it’s different yet familiar at the same time now that he knows who she is, but beautifully so in a way that speaks courage and promises safety. So, swallowing the fear, he opens his wings—fully, for what feels like the first time—and steps towards the edge. 

The drop promises certain death for those who can’t fly. Which won’t be him, Adrien reminds himself, because he’s flown a thousand times. 

(As Chat Noir, but never as Adrien Agreste. Adrien Agreste’s pristine, golden wings are too rare, too pretty, to be used for _what they were designed to do in the first place_. So instead, they had been clipped and binded and locked up for show. But not now. Not anymore. Never again.) 

It’s the anger at his father that makes Adrien step right off the platform. 

He streaks down the Eiffel tower in a sharp plummet. Ladybug’s warning is lost to the wind, which howls all around him like screams, tearing at his feathers and his skin as gravity pulls him down, down, down. For a terrifying couple of seconds, Adrien’s wings remain useless on his back, a deadweight, and he wonders in horror if he’ll simply just _never_ fly as Adrien Agreste. His freedom has been bound for too long; now, even with the chance, it’s too late for him. 

Then the moment of panic passes, and drawing all of his willpower, he opens his wings. 

The force nearly gives Adrien whiplash and there’s a sharp tug of muted pain that races up his back, but his descent immediately slows into a glide. The vicious wind transforms into a playful gale, one that speaks of joy and laughter and _freedom_ , and Adrien gives his wings an experimental flap. 

He doesn’t expect the power they contain as it propels him up and forward, shooting into the sky again. 

With exhilaration thrumming through his whole body, Adrien brings himself even higher. The speed and the wind and the adrenaline is nothing new—he’s flown plenty of times as Chat Noir—but in a way, it is new. There’s no mask to hide his face from the world, there are no bindings to keep his wings as a simple showcase, and there is no one to tell him what he can and can’t do. He’s flying—as _Adrien Agreste_. And it’s the best feeling he’s ever known. 

A streak of red and white swoops past him as Ladybug joins as well, circling him with nimble grace. 

“Why look, kitty,” she shouts over the wind, “turns out you can fly!” 

Adrien turns slightly so he can look at her. Ladybug’s flying has always been a form of art, and it’s no different now as she hovers a couple of feet away from him, grinning. “Yes. Surprising, isn’t it, m’lady?” 

She grins back. “Okay, Goldilocks, I’ll race you back to the bakery. Let’s see how good you _really_ are.” 

In a blur of colour, Ladybug streaks off. Adrien stares after her, dumbfounded by the new nickname, before he realizes that his already-slim chance of beating her is becoming even smaller the more he stalls. 

He opens his wings fully to chase after Ladybug. Flying—the wind, the speed, the power—is pumping through his veins, in his bones, _everywhere_ in his body, and Adrien has never felt more alive. 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr at [e-milieeee!](https://e-milieeee.tumblr.com/)


End file.
